Flashes : what do you use?

Wyverex · Post by **Wyverex** » Sat Nov 23, 2002 5:56 pm

I'm looking for an alternative to white frames flashes. I tried making the scene brighter using brightness/contrast settings and keyframing it but the effect looks "cheap".

So here's my question : what do you use when you have to put a flash somewhere? Just a couple of white frames as everybody do?

I managed to get a flash that fades out like a wave using Photoshop gradients but I can't use it for all my flashes (the effect's too long).

Hitori · Post by **Hitori** » Sat Nov 23, 2002 6:13 pm

Just export an all white image that fits your composition size(usually about 720x480 in size). You can use that as a fade. (and work with the rubberbands to fade out as fast or as slow as you want the fade)

Wyverex · Post by **Wyverex** » Sat Nov 23, 2002 6:18 pm

Yes I know... I'm looking for some other way to get a flash. Don't tell me everyone do it that way...

Hitori · Post by **Hitori** » Sat Nov 23, 2002 6:43 pm

Well, that's the typical way of doing them... I haven't worked any other way... (May have to experiment with different flash techniques)

Zarxrax · Post by **Zarxrax** » Sat Nov 23, 2002 6:59 pm

You could try flashing a different clip there, or a color besides white. Or you could try something entirely different than a flash. Perhaps some sort of transition effect like a disolve or something.

RichLather · Post by **RichLather** » Sat Nov 23, 2002 8:35 pm

Instead of going a cuts-only white flash (which is what we use at the station where I work--4 frames' worth works nicely) I've experimented with a cut-dissolve sort of thing...

If I can describe it as I see it, it deals with inserting an all-white keyframe, then doing a 10-frame dissolve back to the next video scene. It's very fast, and has a bit more class than just simple cuts.

silver_moon · Post by **silver_moon** » Sun Nov 24, 2002 12:29 am

You could try lens flares... maybe if there is more than one beat you want to accent, try doing a lens flare in one part of the picture on the first beat then a second flare on a different part of the pic on the second one and so on.

Or you could try flipping between two different clips rapidly, so instead of using a still white frame for flashes use a clip.

Eek-1 · Post by **Eek-1** » Sun Nov 24, 2002 12:50 am

I usually use white. But to make variety I added some fx on before and after, e.g. in my shoot-em'-up video:
colorized (blue) interlaced -> cut to white (1 frame) -> quick fade to full color.

OmniStrata · Post by **OmniStrata** » Sun Nov 24, 2002 1:01 am

I'm appalled at this...

White flash fades?

^_^

j/k...

I ALWAYS use this technique... [for the Premiere specialists, I HIGHLY suggest you do it too...]

I won't say outright as to spoil it but here's a hint at those cool white frame flashes I do for my videos...

Go to the effects bar and key frame the "Level" Adjust effect. Not just blue/green/red. Just do them all together. For the fade on track one just set the output for one at 255 and the other keyframe at 0...

Easy eh?

Fluxmeister · Post by **Fluxmeister** » Sun Nov 24, 2002 3:27 am

Hmmm, for all my flashes I use a 'white color matte' (new -> color matte) combined with an additive dissolve transition set at 50%(if transititioning white -> clip) So you don't actually have a solid white for so long. The length varies depending on the beat etc that I am matching.

There is one thing I truly dislike with a passion in music videos. Solid white frames being used to sync beats over clips... This simply looks stupid to me. On a fast beat, such as a drumroll or otherwise, I am more accepting to it (seeing as I have used black frames to flash during a sequence...) ... but for some reason the solid white frames (or multiple frames) just 'appearing' on the screen to match a beat can really kill videos for me.